Acne

Acne (Acne Vulgaris) is a common skin disease predominantly found on the face, upper back, and chest. Up to 90% of people aged 12-25 will experience acne and on average it continues to persist for 8-10 years. Scarring occurs in up to 10% of patients.

Acne is a skin condition that occurs when your hair follicles become plugged with oil and dead skin cells. It causes whiteheads, blackheads or pimples, and possible scarring. There are several ways of classifying acne. In broad terms, acne can be defined as being inflammatory or non-inflammatory, but mainly most patients have a combination of both.

Causes-

There 4 key elements that cause acne, to successfully manage acne is to determine which elements are most prevalent and to then treat accordingly

  1. Bacteria
  2. Follicle obstruction
  3. Excessive sebum production – seborrhoea
  4. Inflammation

Symptoms

Acne can have an emotional long lasting affect on patients and can lead to low self esteem and in some cases depression. Acne can present as;

  • Whiteheads
  • Blackheads
  • Pimples
  • Nodules, cysts, or both (deep and painful)
  • Scarring
  • Hyperpigmentation

Types of Acne

  • Mild to Moderate Acne-Mild to moderate inflammatory acne, can present as one, or a combination, of papules, pustules, nodules and cysts.
  • Acne With Comedones-Mild to moderate non-inflammatory acne often presents with comedones- blackheads and whiteheads.

Treatment and prevention

Most treatments involve topical medications (cream / lotion gel) which work very well in most cases if used correctly. If these are not successful, then your Doctor may recommend oral medications, such as antibiotics.

There are effective therapies available in the market, including the Citrine Acne range, however it is important to note they tend to take some time to show positive results. Therefore, it is very important to maintain use of your treatment, even if you do not initially see any real improvements.

Moisturising Acne prone skin Regardless of the type of acne, its important to use a good moisturiser that will help rebalance your sebum production and keep your skin hydrated. It is also advised moisturiser with SPF to protect the skin.